The economic downturn is putting increasing pressure on neighbourhood working and community empowerment. Progress is in danger of being displaced by public sector spending cuts, local authority job losses, council tax rises and the pressure to cutback on what are seen as non‐essential public services. In this climate local authorities need to innovate and adapt their approaches.

Neighbourhood Futures has brought together a consortium of local authority partners to explore the impacts of the economic downturn on the future of neighbourhood working and community empowerment.

Questions to be explored include:

• What evidence is needed to make a case for neighbourhood working in the context of financial constraints?

• How can councils innovate and adapt in the current climate?

• What can councils and communities do to protect and preserve the progress made in neighbourhood working over recent years?

• How can local authorities be more creative and achieve more locally with fewer resources, while still allowing residents to engage and influence local decision‐making?

The programme will combine a seminar series and individual support sessions for local authority partners to explore these and other questions, and share insights about innovative, practical and low‐cost approaches to neighbourhood working.

Consortium partners include: the London Borough of Camden, the London Borough of Hackney, the London Borough of Lewisham, Suffolk County Council, Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council and the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

The programme began in Spring 2009. For more information contact Saffron Woodcraft, saffron.woodcraft@youngfoundation.org